Love Through The Pain
by Darke-Angyl
Summary: Damion Yakavetta and RaShane Shaddon are the main characters in this story of love and pain and betrayal, but there will be appearances by canon BDS characters, too.
1. Chapter 1

The bus pulled to a stop at the Greyhound Bus Station in Boston, Massachusetts. Among the departing passengers was a young woman in her early twenties. She had long dark hair that had a natural curl to it and framed her naturally pale face. Her dark eyes gleamed in the lights provided by the canopy the bus had parked under. With no suitcase to retrieve, she turned her five foot, six inch, slender frame toward the darkened streets.

She walked for more than twenty minutes, talking to herself in her head as she tried to figure out what she was going to do. She had a few hundred dollars in her pocket, but she knew she had to make that stretch until she was able to find a job. She cringed at the thought of even spending any of her money on a motel room, but she couldn't see having the strength needed to make it on the streets... especially alone.

He smiled as he caught sight of the woman walking down the sidewalk. She looked so sweet and innocent. He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face as he fell into step a few feet behind her. He kept his eyes open for the perfect opportunity.

She paused just before she got to an alley that ran between what looked like an adult novelty shop and a seedy looking motel. She didn't really like the looks of the motel or the men gathered in front of it, but she knew she didn't really have another choice. The rates advertised on its sign were even a little higher than she really wanted to spend. She took a deep breath to try to calm her nerves now that she had made her decision.

Once he saw her stop, he reacted quickly. He didn't want to let her get any closer to the motel and let one of the men there grab her for their own. He wanted her. As soon as she started moving again, he ran to her and wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her into the alley.

She stiffened up, screaming against the hand that covered her mouth. Her heart was pounding, her eyes wide and frightened over the hand. Her entire body shook, especially when the one who had grabbed her spoke.

He pulled her tight against his body, letting her feel how much he wanted her as he whispered in her ear. "You can fight all you want. I promise you I will still get what I'm after. If you scream, I will kill you." He slipped his hand up under the front of her shirt and squeezed her breast hard. "Do you understand me, slut?"

Tears slid down her cheeks and onto his hand as she nodded. Once he let go of her mouth, she was able to breathe a little easier. She tried to think through the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her. She knew she had to find a way out of this. "Please," she begged. "I have money. Take it. Let me go. Please."

He sneered at her, shoving her up against the wall of the motel hard enough to bloody her nose and scrape her cheek against the bricks. "I might take your money once I'm done," he replied. He reached around her, grabbing the front of her shirt and ripping it off of her.

She groaned, shoving back against him as hard as she could, using the wall for momentum. The force of her actions sent both of them sprawling on the ground. She crawled away, tripping and stumbling as she tried to get to her feet to run.

With a roar, he launched himself at her and pinned her to the ground beneath him. He pulled roughly at her jeans, popping the button and zipper on them as he forced them down her legs after discarding her shoes. He ripped her panties off and threw them to the side, punching her a few times as she struggled.

"Hey!" a voice shouted.

She looked around in shock as everything seemed to erupt around her. The man who had been pinning her to the ground was no longer on top of her. She sat up slowly. Her entire body was aching. She watched in horror as two men struggled a few feet from her.

The newcomer reached for the woman's jeans with one hand as he sat on her attacker and kept him pinned down with the other. He tossed the jeans at her before slugging her attacker and knocking him out. Once he was sure the man was unconscious, he stood up and pulled his jacket off.

She sat there, naked and in shock, as her mind tried to process everything that was happening. She felt as if she would never blink again, her arms wrapped tight around herself. She rocked back and forth, whimpering. Her jeans lay just in front of her where the man who had saved her had thrown them.

The newcomer sighed and got up to kneel next to the woman. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, helping her get her arms in the sleeves and zipping it up around her. "Hey," he spoke. "Can you hear me?"

The woman slowly nodded. Her teeth were chattering as she trembled, her eyes never leaving the unconscious form of her attacker.

The newcomer gently took the woman's chin in his hand and forced her to look up at him. "I'm going to help you into your jeans. There's a cafe about halfway down this block." He pointed back the way she had come from. "I need to finish up here, and then I'll be right behind you."

She didn't move to help him as he grabbed her jeans and put them on her. She felt cold, inside and out, and couldn't stop shaking.

He growled softly under his breath, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her lightly. "Look. I know you're frightened, but you have to move. Go to the cafe. I'll come join you in a few minutes, and we'll get you taken care of. I promise."

It took a few seconds for the man's words to register with her, but she finally began to move. She walked, barefoot, out of the alley and down to the cafe he had told her about. She squinted in the harsh light and quickly made her way over to the furthest booth in the back corner.

"Are you okay, honey?" the waitress asked with concern as she placed a glass of ice water and a menu on the table in front of the woman.

She nodded, picking up the menu in her shaking hands for something to focus on. She didn't look up until after the waitress went back behind the counter. She shredded a napkin, sipping at the ice water as she waited.

Several minutes went by, and she debated leaving. She was sore and knew how horrible she must look to the other people inside the cafe. The looks she was getting from them were making her extremely uncomfortable. As she began to move, someone came in the door and caused her to freeze. Her breath caught in her throat as relief washed over her.

He was here.


	2. Chapter 2

The stranger approached the back booth, tossing RaShane's wallet onto the table as he sat down across from her. He studied her carefully as the waitress brought over a glass of ice water for him, along with another menu. After the waitress left, he spoke. "Do you need to go to a hospital?"

RaShane's hands shook as she picked up her wallet and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans. She took a sip of water and shook her head, whispering, "No. I don't need a hospital." She took another sip, trying to ignore her rumbling stomach.

"What can I get the two of you to eat?" the waitress questioned as she came back over.

RaShane shook her head. "Just the water, thanks."

The stranger rolled his eyes. "Bring us two chicken dinner plates," he requested, closing his menu and handing it to the waitress. He looked calmly at the woman across from him after the waitress left again to go turn in their order. "What's your name?"

RaShane blushed softly. "RaShane," she answered. "Are you really that hungry?"

"Hell, no," the stranger responded. "I ordered that food for you, RaShane. You look like a strong gust of wind would knock you on yer ass."

RaShane's blush deepened. "I don't have the money to pay for it..." She hesitated, not wanting to admit that she had a few hundred dollars. She needed that to get a start in the city. "What's your name?"

The stranger smirked. "You're not from Boston, are you?" He laughed at the irony that someone in the area didn't know his name. "I'm Damion Yakavetta." He expected a gasp or something in reaction to his last name, raising an eyebrow when she merely nodded her head. "You've never heard the name Yakavetta before?" he asked in amazement.

RaShane shook her head. "I've never been to Boston before in my life. I just got here tonight on the Greyhound."

Damion couldn't believe his luck. He felt as if the prize of the century had landed in his lap. He leaned forward slowly. "I bet you don't even have a place to stay yet, do you?"

RaShane sighed as the waitress set the two chicken dinner plates on the table in front of them. "I was looking for one when that guy jumped me." She tried to resist the smell of the food, not wanting to owe Damion any more than she already did, but it was too tempting. She barely thought about manners in time to grab the fork provided to eat with, moaning quietly. The meal was the first food she had had in two days, and it was like nectar to her.

Damion studied the woman as she ate the chicken dinner plate in front of her, moving the second one closer to her when she was finished with the first. His little sister had disappeared almost ten years before, his older brother had abandoned him just a couple of months later, and his father barely spoke to him unless it was absolutely necessary to discuss the businesses they ran together. It would be nice to have someone around who might actually end up giving a damn about him. "I got a place you can live," he finally spoke up.

RaShane looked up at him with wide eyes. She was grateful the man had saved her from the mugger and would be rapist, but she hadn't been raised to be an idiot. She didn't know the man in front of her. He could be as bad or worse than the man who had attacked her. She didn't want to believe it, but her parents had always drilled caution into her brain. She didn't want to seem ungrateful, but she didn't want him to think that she was willing to do anything he wanted either. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and took a drink of her water before answering. "I really appreciate what you've done for me tonight, and I'll figure out some way to repay you. I promise. But I don't take charity, and I don't know you. I'm not comfortable with the idea of moving in with you."

Damion laughed to take the time to re-formulate his plan. He had no doubt he would get what he wanted from her, but he realized he needed to take different tactics to get it. "You misunderstand me, RaShane. I said I have a place for you to live. I didn't say it was with me."

RaShane's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open slightly, as she blushed a deep red. "Oh my gosh, Damion. I am so sorry." She felt horrible for misinterpreting his intentions.

Damion grinned at her. "Don't worry about it," he assured her, masking his irritation. "It's good that you're cautious." He pulled out his wallet and threw some cash on the table to cover the food. "Let's go. There's already another girl who lives there, but it's a two bedroom place. I know she'd welcome the help with rent and stuff."


	3. Chapter 3

Damion led RaShane to his car, helped her in, and then drove over to one of the apartment buildings his family owned. He parked the car and led her inside, taking the elevator to the fifth floor.

RaShane fiddled nervously with the straps of her duffel bag as she followed Damion, looking around the building as they made their way to the apartment he had told her about. She stayed back a few steps, expecting him to knock on the door. Her eyes widened slightly when he pulled out a set of keys and let himself inside. "You come and go as you please?"

Damion rolled his eyes before turning to face her. "My family owns the building, so I have a set of keys to every apartment in it. Michelle is more than likely sleeping, and I'd rather not wake her up. She has a shift at the club tonight."

"Club?" RaShane inquired. "Your family owns an apartment building and a club?"

Damion chuckled. "My family owns a lot of things." He led the way into the second bedroom. "You can stay in here."

RaShane nodded slowly. "What's my part of the rent?"

Damion smirked. "Two hundred and fifty dollars a month."

RaShane swallowed hard. "I can pay this month, and maybe next... but I won't be able to do more than that until I find a job."

"I've got that covered, too," Damion assured her. "You'll work at the club with Michelle."

"What kind of club is it?" RaShane questioned.

"It's called Club Z. It's the most popular strip club in South Boston." Damion laughed at the look on her face. "Relax, sweetheart. I never said you had to strip. You can wait tables."

RaShane looked apprehensive. "What kind of an outfit will I have to wear? I can always try to find something else..."

Damion laughed darkly. "Good luck with that. My family owns a lot of South Boston." He smirked at her. "It'll probably be less clothes than you're used to wearing, but look at it this way... You won't have to be up on stage, dancing and taking any of them off."

RaShane took a deep breath and nodded. She knew he had a point, and she was in no place to argue with him.

"Good girl," Damion commented. "Get yourself unpacked while I go pick up an outfit for you. You can start working tonight." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Unless you're too shaken up or sore from getting attacked earlier."

RaShane felt her spine stiffen at the hidden challenge. She might be a small town girl, but she was determined to make something of herself. If this was the way for her to get her start in the city, she would take it. She stared right back into his eyes, almost defiant. "I'm fully capable of starting work tonight. I'm not going to let some bastard like the man who attacked me stop me from fulfilling my dreams."

Damion smirked. "And what are your dreams, RaShane?"

RaShane shuddered lightly. "To leave my small town self in the past where she belongs and find out who I really am."

Damion moved fast, stepping right up behind her and putting his palm on top of her shoulder. He leaned over and whispered huskily in her ear. "I can help with that, too, Princess."

RaShane's shudder turned into a shiver, and she bit her lip. "What are you doing?" She tilted her head to the side, closing her eyes.

Damion's breath blew lightly across her ear as he laughed. "Not a thing, Princess." He moved his hand from her shoulder, slapping her firmly on the ass. "Get a move on and get yourself settled. I'll be back within an hour with your uniform. If Michelle wakes up before I get back, tell her I said to remember who her boss is." Before RaShane could say anything, he turned and walked out of the apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

RaShane quickly put her few belongings away in the closet and dresser that was in the room. She used the top of the dresser to hold her toiletries. Just as she was debating what to do to pass the time until Damion returned, she started hearing noises from the living room. She stepped over to the door and cracked it open, peeking out.

Michelle looked up quickly as she heard the door to the second bedroom open. She jumped to her feet, grabbing a nearby candle holder to use as a weapon. Her eyes widened when she spotted the eyes staring out at her. "Who the hell are you? How'd you get in here?"

RaShane slowly opened the door further and stepped out, holding her hands up in surrender. "Damion told me I could stay here to help you with the rent. I'm supposed to be starting work tonight. He went to go find me an outfit to wear."

Michelle put the candle holder back down and sighed. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," she muttered. She sat back down on the couch and reached for the remote control, propping her feet up on the coffee table. "Got a preference for what to watch?"

"Not really." RaShane hesitated, looking toward the kitchen. "Do you mind if I get a glass of water? I'm sure you'll probably want me to buy my own food and stuff, but I just got into town tonight. I'm not sure where to even begin."

Michelle shook her head. "How the hell did Asshole find you so quickly?" She motioned toward the kitchen. "Help yourself to anything you want."

RaShane sighed as she walked into the kitchen and opened the cabinets until she found a glass, opening the refrigerator and getting a bottle of water. She added ice to the glass and poured the water over it. "I arrived on the Greyhound bus tonight, and I got mobbed almost as soon as I started walking down the street. Damion fought off my attacker. He saved my life."

Michelle groaned under her breath. "Asshole used the oldest ploy in the book!" she muttered under her breath. She got up and stepped into the kitchen with her new roommate, fixing her own drink. "Look. You seem really sweet. I'm guessing your from some Midwestern town or something where no one ever lies or hurts anyone else." She rolled her eyes. "This is Boston, sweetheart... not just Boston, but South Boston. You can't trust anyone here, not even a knight in shining armor. Be careful."

RaShane's eyes widened. "I'm just trying to start fresh..." She glanced toward the door at the sound of a key in the lock. "Does he always just come in like that?"

Michelle nodded. "He does own the place, and we work for him. He does what he wants." Her eyes were full of pity as she stared at the younger girl. "You'd better learn that quickly."

Damion called out as he let himself inside. "I've got your outfit, RaShane! Michelle! Get your ass up if you're not already!"

"I'm awake, and we're in the kitchen!" Michelle called back to him. She moved back slightly as he came into the kitchen, eyeing the outfit. "You're gonna have her waiting tables?"

Damion smirked. "I know she's got the body to put you to shame on stage, Michelle, but she doesn't think she's ready to get up there yet."

RaShane blushed a deep red as she finished the last of her water. She stepped over and took the outfit from Damion, staring at it in shock. "This is it?"

Damion laughed. "I told you it would be less than you're used to wearing." He narrowed his eyes. "Go get changed. "Both your shifts start in two hours. Michelle, help her with her hair and make-up."

Michelle rolled her eyes and grabbed RaShane's hand, pulling her toward the bedroom she was going to be living in. "Come on. It won't be that bad." She smirked. "You're gonna have all the guys drooling over you, even if you aren't shaking what God gave you up on the stage like I'll be doing." She pushed RaShane into the bedroom, turning to glare at Damion before shutting the door and locking it.

RaShane tossed the outfit onto the bed and stared nervously at it. "He really expects me to wear this... band-aid, doesn't he?"

Michelle laughed bitterly. "Trust me. He'll be getting you out of it as soon as possible. You're exactly his type." She looked around. "Where's your make-up? Your hair supplies?"

"I put them on top of the dresser. I didn't want to wake you up by roaming too much through the apartment." RaShane sighed and slipped out of her clothes, except for her bra and panties. She picked up the black shorts that spread over her hips and covered little else and slid them on. She gingerly picked up the scrap of cloth that was supposed to be the top. "I'm not going to be able to wear my bra with this, am I?"

Michelle shook her head. "Nope. I wouldn't try it even if it would work. Damion and his father prefer their girls to go bra-less while working." She guided RaShane into the desk chair. "Let me do your hair and make-up. Then you can finish getting dressed."

RaShane took a deep breath and closed her eyes while Michelle worked on her face and hair. Once the older girl was finished, she got up and removed her bra before carefully pulling the top on.

Damion pounded on the bedroom door. "What the fuck is taking so long! It's time to go!"

"Keep your shirt on, Damion! She's almost ready!" Michelle rolled her eyes. "Hurry up, RaShane. Ready or not, it's time to go."

RaShane nodded, taking another deep breath. "Okay," she replied softly. "I'm ready."


	5. Chapter 5

RaShane sat nervously in the passenger seat of Damion's car. She kept pulling on her skimpy top and shorts, hoping to stretch them out at least a little so they would cover more of her body. Her heart rate increased as Damion pulled into his reserved spot in the parking lot of the club. Now that they were here, she was having more than a few second thoughts about agreeing to work at a place like this.

Michelle gave RaShane an encouraging smile as she climbed out of the back of the car. She stepped closer to the younger girl before Damion joined them. "Stop thinking so much," she advised her. "If you keep thinking about it, you'll never go through with it. You just have to go in there and do it." She squeezed her shoulder lightly. "I promise that the more you do it, the easier it gets."

Damion snapped his fingers, impatient as he stood waiting by the back door. "Come on!" he called out. "Get your asses in there before you're late! Time's money, and people are waiting!" He slapped Michelle on the ass as she walked past him and into the club.

RaShane kept shaking her head as she slowly approached the back door, her arms wrapped protectively around her waist. She stopped a few feet away from him. "I can't do this, Damion," she said. "I promise I will be able to make my half of the rent. I'll go out first thing in the morning and get a job. I'll search day and night until I find one." She turned and started walking away.

Damion growled, quickly closing the distance between the two of them. He grabbed RaShane by the front of her throat and slammed her back up against the wall of his club. "I don't think you quite get how this works, RaShane," he spoke in a gentle tone, despite his tight grip on her throat.

RaShane lifted her arms and started trying to pull Damion's hand off of her throat as she gasped for breath. "Let… go… of me… Damion," she managed to speak in a choked whisper. She was trying to figure out where the sweet man from earlier that afternoon had disappeared to. "Please," she begged him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I saved your ass, RaShane," Damion stated. "You'd probably be dead if I hadn't come along when I did!" He smacked the back of her head against the wall. "I've given you a place to stay." He pressed himself up against her. "You owe me, and I don't want to hear another word about it." He removed his hand from her throat, hiding a smile as she collapsed on the ground at his feet.

RaShane coughed as she gasped for breath. Tears, mixed with make-up, ran down her cheeks as she stared up at Damion. She was trembling from head to toe as she realized that she had no choice in the matter. He was right. She owed him. She winced as she took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Okay," she whispered. "I'll do it."

"You're damn right you will." Damion grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, pulling her into the back of the club. He sneered at her. "Look at yourself! You're a fucking mess!" He sighed and looked around. "Michelle!" he yelled.

"What?" Michelle asked as she appeared in one of the open doorways that were along the back hallway.

"Do something with this!" Damion instructed. He shoved RaShane toward her roommate. "I want her on the floor and working in twenty minutes!"

Michelle sighed as she pulled RaShane into the room and sat her down at one of the dressing tables. "Oh, honey," she commented. She shook her head and grabbed a few tissues, handing them to the girl. "I tried to warn you."

"I don't understand," RaShane responded as she wiped at her eyes. Her hands were trembling so bad that she could barely even do that. "How can he be so different than he was this afternoon?"

"It was a trick, sweetie," one of the other dancers commented. She looked at Michelle. "She needs something to calm her down. I'll be back in five."

Michelle nodded. "Thanks, Ronnie." She snapped her fingers at RaShane, motioning for her to tilt her head back as she grabbed her jar of make-up remover. "There's no fixing the mess you've made of your face. I'm just gonna have to start over."

RaShane took another shaky breath to try and calm down as she tilted her had back and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Michelle," she apologized. "I didn't mean to mess up the make-up job you did."

"Yeah. Well, just be grateful I used to have dreams of becoming a make-up artist," Michelle retorted as she started re-applying RaShane's make-up.

"What do you mean?" RaShane asked. "Why don't you still dream of becoming one? You'd be great at it."

"Here you go, honey," Ronnie said as she came back. She held out a large shot glass. "Drink up. It'll help calm those nerves of yours."

RaShane shook her head. "Thanks, but I don't drink."

"You do now," Michelle insisted, taking the glass from Ronnie and wrapping RaShane's hand around it. "Trust us. You don't want to go out there shaking so bad that you spill drinks."

Ronnie nodded her agreement. "You definitely don't want to be shaking so bad that you can't carry a tray that Damion or one of the others tell you to." She patted RaShane's arm reassuringly. "The whiskey will help calm you down, honey. Drink it like a good girl."

RaShane sighed and put the shot glass to her lips. She took a deep breath and tipped her head back, choking and gasping as the liquid burned its way down her throat.

"Good girl," Ronnie repeated, taking the empty shot glass and setting it down on top of the dressing table as Michelle started re-applying the girl's make-up again. She picked up a brush and straightened out the tangles in RaShane's hair, pulling it back up into a twist so that her neck and cleavage were shown off to full advantage.

RaShane caught Michelle's eyes in the mirror as her roommate turned her around so that she could get a look at herself. "Why did you stop dreaming, Michelle?" she repeated her earlier question.

Michelle sighed as she met RaShane's eyes in the mirror. "Because once you start working here, RaShane, there's only one way you're ever able to stop."

RaShane's heart leaped into her throat, her eyes widening with unmistakable fear as those words settled over her. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it quickly when a man's voice spoke from the doorway.

"Damion's waiting for you at the bar, RaShane. It's not good to keep him waiting."


	6. Chapter 6

RaShane balanced the tray of drinks carefully as she picked them up off the bar and turned to start delivering them to people, mostly men, at various tables around the club. She had already broken several glasses and spilled more drinks than she wanted to think about. Her upper left arm was still stinging from where Damion had grabbed her a few minutes before, warning her to not make another mistake.

Damion nodded to himself as he watched RaShane working. She had been very shaky when she had first started working, but he had stamped down hard on her nerves and was proud of how quickly she was falling into line. He knew now, more than ever before, that he had made the right choice when choosing her to become his newest employee.

RaShane stiffened when one of the men at the table she was delivering drinks to slapped her on the ass. When he started groping her instead of letting his hand drop, she jerked away from him. "Stop it!" she whispered with a snarl.

"Don't be like that, baby," the man said. He grabbed RaShane by the hips and pulled her onto his lap, his hands rubbing all over her body. "You get better tips when you play nice!"

RaShane twisted on the man's lap, trying to extricate herself from his hold. "I've got work to do. Let me go!"

"Is there a problem here?" Damion demanded as he approached the table.

RaShane looked up. "This guy won't let go of me so I can do my job," she answered, still struggling.

The man narrowed his eyes. "I always spend a hell of a lot of good money in here, Yakavetta. I expect to be able to have all the fun I want."

"You can," Damion responded with a smirk. "RaShane's new and still learning." He gave RaShane a sharp slap across the face. "Your main job is to make sure that my customers stay happy, RaShane. If you won't get up on the stage and dance for them, then you're gonna have to figure out other ways to do it."

RaShane stared at Damion in shock, putting a hand up to her cheek. She barely managed to keep back the tears that were burning her eyes. "I will not be a play thing for any man who comes in here," she stated.

Damion growled, grabbing RaShane by the hair. "Don't go anywhere," he told the man. "Enjoy a drink or two on the house while I go have a… word… with my new employee." He dragged RaShane into his office, shutting and locking the door behind them.

ELSEWHERE IN SOUTH BOSTON

"Got any idea when Romeo'll be back?" Murphy asked Connor.

Connor shrugged. "Romeo said he was gonna try te find de bes' way te gi' te Concezzio. We owe 'im fer what 'e 'ad done te de priest." He lounged on the couch in the back room of McGinty's Pub and tilted up his bottle of beer, closing his eyes as the liquid ran down his throat.

Murphy growled under his breath. "I canna jes' sit still," he finally stated. He grabbed his black pea coat and shrugged it on. "'m goin' fer a walk."

"Be careful," Connor replied with a warning. "Ye know what'll 'appen iffen we gi' caugh'."

Murphy nodded, cracking the door open and making sure no one was around before he slipped off into the night.


End file.
